1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method making use of an electrophotographic apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a widely-used image forming method, there is an image forming method in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on an electrostatic latent image carrier, the latent image is developed with a dry toner into a toner image, and the toner image is electrostatically transferred onto and fixed on a recording medium. In this image forming method, however, there are problems that thickness heterogeneity may disadvantageously occur in an image, or that toner powder sometimes is scattered from the transfer section causing degradation of the resolution or dot reproducibility.
For the most part, these problems result from the transfer process of electrostatically transferring a toner image on the electrostatic latent image carrier onto a recording medium. Namely, in the electrostatic transfer system, a toner image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier cannot homogeneously and efficiently be transferred onto a recording medium. In contrast, in the thermoelectric transfer system, a toner image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier can efficiently be transferred by means of fusing without the toner powder being scattered. In this method, however, the energy consumption in the thermoelectric process or in the fixing process is disadvantageously high.
The present inventors disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-117260 an efficient method of forming a high quality image by thermoelectrically transferring a toner with the melting point in the range from 45° C. to 110° C. without causing scattering of the toner. Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-117260, the inventors disclosed a thermoelectric image forming method making use of an intermediate transfer belt, but simplification of the image forming process is effective for cost and size reduction of a printer, and, when viewed from this standpoint, it is desirable that the number of transfer steps after development of an electrostatic latent image with a toner be minimized.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide an image forming method capable of efficiently transferring a toner image formed on an electrostatic latent image carrier onto a recording medium and fixing it thereon by means of fusing without scattering of the toner powder.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an image forming method in which relatively less energy is consumed in the thermoelectric transfer and fixing steps.
It is a third object of the present invention to simplify the process of forming a toner image on a recording medium.